Trust Not in Possessions: Psalm 62:11 Welcome to Daily Bitachon. Today's verse is Psalm 62:11 : תבטחו בעושק ובגזל. אל תהבלו חיל. כי ינוב, אל תשיתו לב .) "Do not trust in oppression or robbery; do not have vain hope in ill-gotten gain. Though wealth flourishes, set not your heart on it." The Illusion of Material Satisfaction The verse cautions us against placing our trust in wealth acquired through unethical means ,It also warns against even having vain hope in material gain , even when that wealth seems to be flourishing . Maram Albedeila offers a deeper explanation: even when we are financially flourishing through legitimate means, that prosperity rarely brings true satisfaction. This is due to the concept of , "one who loves money," who will never be satisfied with money. The more a person acquires, the more they feel they need. This idea is captured powerfully in Midrash Rabba Kohelet 3:13 : "Man does not leave this world with half his desire fulfilled. If he has 100, he wants 200. If he has 200, he wants 400." The Ba'alei Mussar emphasize this paradox: the more you have, the more lacking you feel. A person with a hundred needs two hundred; a person in the millions now needs billions. The relative gap grows larger! The True Definition of Wealth Rav Shach famously asked how this paradox reconciles with the teaching in Pirkei Avot—"Who is wealthy? The one who is happy with his lot." If everyone always wants double what they have, how can anyone truly be happy with their lot? Rav Shach offered an insightful answer: Who is the truly wealthy person? The one who has nothing. The objection is obvious: How can someone have nothing? The answer is: You do have possessions, but you understand that you don't truly own them. You grasp that everything you have is HaKadosh Baruch Hu) lending to you temporarily. Your money is no different than the bank teller receiving a temporary deposit. This perspective mirrors the teaching of the {Chovot HaLevavot in his introduction to Sha'ar HaBitachon (The Gate of Trust). This is the first message of our verse: do not rely on money, even when it flourishes. Setting Not Your Heart Upon It King David concludes by stating, " אל תשיתו לב )—"Set not your heart on it." What does this mean in a practical sense? It addresses the temptation we face when we see others—even those engaged in shady dealings, corner-cutting, or outright scams—flourishing. To that, David commands us: Do not look at their success and think, "He's getting away with it; I can do that too." Even if unethical dealings appear to succeed temporarily, that success will not last forever. Justice awaits, whether in this world or the next. Because of this eternal reality, money—no matter how powerful it seems—is not worthy of our Bitachon. For lasting security and true satisfaction in life, we can only trust in God.